Ex-judge pleads guilty to sexual assaults at courthouse

ASOTIN, Wash. (AP) — A former judge in southeastern Washington state faces 13 to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to allegations that he sexually assaulted two former court employees over several years. Scott D. Gallina, the former Superior Court judge for Asotin, Garfield and Columbia counties, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of assault with sexual motivation, one in the third-degree and one in the fourth-degree, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. The plea deal, which Ferguson said the victims supported, came as jury selection began in Gallina’s trial on more serious charges, including second-degree rape. The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case at the request of the Asotin County prosecutor.